Dixon school board gives the go-ahead for ‘first step’ in solar project

DIXON — Dixon Public Schools took “the first step” to eventually securing solar panel arrays for its various properties though there were contractual details yet to work out.

The board voted 6-1 on Wednesday in regular session to approve the option for a lease agreement with Econergy.

Econergy can now conduct a comprehensive engineering review of the rooftops, which is where the company wants to erect most of the solar arrays. Reagan Middle is the exception; a ground array is recommended there.

[ Future Green made initial proposal to build solar panels at Dixon Public Schools in October.  ]

This evaluation will let Future Green refine its proposal to the board. Instead of relying on computer modeling to estimate how much electricity the arrays will produce, these engineering inspections will let it determine with greater accuracy the number of panels it can install and how much electricity they will produce over time.

But there was one voice of dissent. It came from board member Jon Wadsworth.

“I hate to hold up progress, but I don’t feel comfortable” voting on an agreement unseen, Wadsworth said.

Econergy is a Chicago-based energy company whose not-for-profit arm Future Green approached the district in October with a plan to install solar arrays in exchange for the right to act as an energy purchasing agent for a term of 25 years.

The proposal estimated the district would see $2 million in savings over the time period.

In introducing the action item on behalf of the administration, business manager Marc Campbell said “this is the first step.” But it did not include the full power purchase agreement, he added.

“What’s the holdup?” board member Melissa Gates asked.

According to Campbell, legal counsel was still working out final details on the contract.

Campbell indicated a sticking point was language concerning Future Green’s obligations should repairs be needed on the school roofs. Another is legal language Future Green wants should it desire extending the lease once the 25-year term is met.

The original timetable for this project had the administration hoping it would have been voted on during the November regular meeting; that vote had been delayed to give the district attorney more time to review the agreement.

Campbell said he’s spoken with other districts who’ve been at this point in the process and he felt confident the district’s attorney and the electricity company can come to a resolution — just as those other districts had.

Much of Future Green’s initial pitch relied upon the fact it was assembling a consortium of partner schools. As the consortium grows in size, it would have greater negotiating power.

In fact, the Future Green consortium came with the endorsement of the Illinois Association of School Administrators, the Illinois Association of School Boards and the Illinois Association of School Business Officials.

In October, Future Green had 10 solar projects under construction, three were completed and another 40 schools were at the same stage Dixon was at. At that time, it thought it could negotiate purchase agreements that were about 6 cents a kilowatt hour.

Facilities director Kevin Schultz said then that there was no way the district could — on its own — get such a sweet deal with utility companies. Moreover, the proposal was attractive because rising energy costs would likely be taking big bites out of the Operations and Maintenance fund, leaving less money for repairs and personnel salaries.

On Wednesday night, Campbell said the evening’s vote was not on the power purchase agreement, so the district wasn’t obligating itself beyond allowing engineering teams to survey the sites.

Board Secretary Brandon Rogers seemed to understand Wadsworth’s discomfort as he spoke to him. If the motion had said something more definitive than “option,” then “I’d be right there with you,” Rogers said.

Rogers voted for the motion. So did Gates, Rachel Cocar, Kathleen Schaefer, Linda LeBlanc-Parks and President Linda Wegner.

With passage, the site evaluation can begin. Should the board approve the power purchase agreement after all that, then installation of the solar arrays could take place over the summer and be operational at about the time the 2023-24 school year begins.

In October, Future Green said initial projections showed the following solar energy production amounts and savings realized by school site:

School — energy production — first-year savings in dollars

Dixon High School — 803,957 kwh — $16,3000

Reagan Middle School — 539,809 kwh — $19,300

Jefferson Elementary — 484,267 kwh — $5,100

Washington Elementary — 293,391 kwh — $76,000

Administrative Building — 136,028 kwh — $3,200

Future Green’s 25-year projections for the $2 million in savings figure took into account things like system degradation over time, it said.